Why the North Won the Civil War

Introduction
This paper looks into the various aspects of the American civil war. The paper commences with a detailed analysis as to why the north prevailed over the south in the civil war. The study has looked into more than three reasons which can be attributed to the victory by the north. The study then discusses the key events during the civil war. Accordingly, it has been noted that the secession of various states in the south triggered the civil war between the north and the south. The study has also looked into the initial successes by the south over the north. In this respect, it has been noted that the south had various advantages, including a better understanding of the territory, which have not been carefully considered as yet. Main Body

The civil war between the north and the south commenced in 1865 and ended in 1865[1]. It has been argued that the North had various strategic advantages which ultimately enabled it to be victorious over the south. This paper aims at highlighting the reasons which enable the North to be victorious over the south, including the key events, as well as the successes that had been achieved by the south early in the confrontation [2]. [If this is the ‘main body’ of the paper, you don’t need to repeat the introduction or explain what you will discuss in the body of the paper.] Initially, it was estimated that there would be a brief confrontation between the North and the South. These sentiments could be echoed by General Winfield Scott who was a major player in the war [3]. In the view of Lincoln, who was the president at the time, the response by the north was tantamount to police action which only aimed at bringing the southern states back to the union. The war goals and objectives which were adopted by the north eventually transformed into the surrender of the southern states [4]. The Contribution of the Population Factor

At the time when the war commenced, the North had a population of 22 million people. Out of this population, 1.3 million worked in industries. On the other hand, the south had a total population of nine million of which 120,000 worked as industrial workers [5]. The population in the southern states constituted mainly of slaves, and the people of color. This meant that they could not be conscripted into the army at the time to participate in the war. In the alternative, these people participated in agricultural activities in the south. At the time, the slaves and people of color were not legally allowed to participate in war at the time [6]. It has also been observed that the slave population in some southern states was more than that of whites. The patterns of immigration in the north also played a decisive role in ensuring that the north became victorious over the south [7]. This is because there was a steady immigration of the Irish in the cities and towns in the north.

The post-civil war statistics have revealed that most of the immigrants joined the army which played a significant role in ensuring that the north becomes victorious. It is estimated that more than 170,000 immigrants of Irish origin participated in the northern army [8]. The post-civil war statistics have also revealed that German immigrants also played a significant role in the victory of the north over the south. This is because Germans constituted a significant portion of the prewar immigrants who eventually joined the military and participated in furtherance of the northern cause.

The Contribution of Industrial Production
It is estimated that industrial production in the north amounted to more than 1.5 billion dollars in comparison to that of the south which only amounted to 155 million dollars[9]. This meant that the northerners had more money to expend in the war in comparison to their southern folks. It is this amount of resources which eventually played a decisive role in enabling the north to win over the south. It is also believed that the ration of textiles between the two regions was 17 to 1. This also played as a strategic advantage in favor of the north. Much has been written about the southern military during the time. It has been stated that there was a tradition in the south at the time where all the soldiers had guns and also knew how to use them [10]. However, it has been revealed that in the overall scheme of things, this had not strategic advantage in favor of the south. This is because the ration of guns between the north and the south and the south at the time was an astounding 32 to 1. The Contribution of Railroads in the Northern Southern War.

It has been argued that railroads played a significant role in ensuring that the north became victorious over the south. The railroads enabled the north to transport soldiers and other supplies to where they were needed expeditiously [11]. This had an immense contribution in enabling the north to defeat the Confederacy. To put this into perspective, it is estimated that the north had more than 22,000 miles of track whereas the south had a total of 9,000. This means that the south was quite disadvantaged in terms of transporting soldiers and providing supplies. [ Instead of summarizing the quotation after you’ve stated it, how else might you present this information?] It is also believed that during the progression of the way, the southern system became hugely dilapidated which highly affected their defenses [12]. The Contribution of Warships In Favor Of the North

The north owned a fleet of warships which blockaded most of the ports in the south during at the commencement of the war. It is this blockade that reduced the ability of the south to receive the much needed supplies of weapons and munitions from Europe. In the wake of this, the south attempted to use “blockade runners” in an attempt to harass the Union shipping [13]. However, it is believed that the blockade runners were of less significance in the general scheme of things which enabled the north to win over the south.

The Role of Leadership in the Victory by the North

It has been argued that leadership played a significant role in the North’s advantage[14]. At the time, the south had a better military leadership especially during the initial days. However, it is also believed that Abraham Lincoln was by far a better president in comparison to Jefferson Davis. Davis is believed to have been cold and arrogant. Lincoln is believed to have been humble and also a fast learner. It is stated that he used to spend hours in the library of the congress educating familiarizes himself on the latest dynamics in the way and rarely intervening in the various operations [15].

The Major Events in the Civil War

The war began in 1861 when an unarmed ship known as the star of the west docked in the Charleston Harbor. The merchant ship had docked with a view to providing supplies and troops to support Ft. Sumter [16]. Consequently, the ship was fired upon which resulted in in its retreating. On January 9th in the same year, Mississippi declared its secession from the Union. On the following day, January 10th, Florida also announced that it had seceded from the union. Alabama also declared its secession from the Union on January 11th. On January 16th, the Crittenden compromise was presented for approval by the senate. The aim of the pact was to reduce the level of tensions between both the north and the south [17]. However, the north declined to consider the bill which consequently meant the tensions between the two states were not averted. The compromise had a total of six proposals for the amendment of the constitution.

Further, the compromise had a total of four proposals for consideration by the congress with the ultimate objective of passing a resolution. Some of the most salient provisions of the compromise was that the federal government would not get in the way of the slave trade in the southern states where it had already existed [18]. In January 19th, Georgia seceded from the union. The declaration by Georgia of its secession was approved on January 29th where it stated that they have had issues of major concern for the past ten years with their northern counterparts relating to the area of African slavery. The declaration further stated that the northern states had consistently contributed to the weakening of the security of the state, hampered with their internal peace and tranquility and also refused to abide by constitutional obligations regarding to property. On January 26th, Louisiana announced that it had also seceded from the union. On January 29th, Kansas became the thirty fourth state to join the union [19]. On February 1st, Texas enacted a legislation which effectively marked its secession from the union[20]. The legislation stated that the abolition of slavery by the northern states was the main reason why the southern state was seceding. The resolution also stated that the demands of the union that there ought to have been political equality between whites and the people of color also contributed to the decision of secession.

On February 8th, the Confederacy adopted a provisional constitution which aimed at regulating their internal and external affairs. This was followed by the election of Jefferson Davis, on the following day, to become the president of the confederation [21]. On February 11th, Abraham Lincoln became the president elect for the union where he was inaugurated as the sixteenth president on March 4th. The congress of the confederate then authorized an army which was to be constituted by volunteers on the April 1861. This was followed by the official commencement of the way on April 12th. After this event, President Lincoln requested the congress to constitute a union army. The congress granted the request and provided an army comprising of 500,000 men. This was far the biggest indication that the war would be major. This was then followed by the conquest for the Bull Run [22]. The battle involved the confederate and the Union armies.

However, the confederate army was defeated by the northern one in this initial encounter [23]. This was then followed by the battle of Shiloh. The battle came as a surprise to the union forces. This is because of the number of casualties where the union suffered a total of 13,000 compared to 10,000 from the south. On September 22, 1862, president Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation which expressed his intention to release the slaves who had been captured during the conquest [24]. In March 1863, the Congress enacted a bill which required all men to serve in the armed forces unless they paid the state a total of 300 dollars or provided another substitute.

Early Successes of The South
The south recorded immense gains during the commencement of the war owing to various reasons [25]. This can be illustrated by the battle of Shiloh where more union soldiers died in comparison to the Confederate ones. There has been an argument that the north would win the war from the onset. However, this position has not gone without its critics who have argued that this was not the case. There is an argument that the south was in the advantageous defensive position. This is because the war started in the north after the shelling of Fort Sumter [26]. Since the objective of the union was the preservation of the whole association, they were in a default position since this could only be achieved by a total yielding by the south. Ultimately, this meant that the union had a hard task since its objectives could only be accomplished by an occupation of the South [27]. It is worth noting that the south was defending itself from the invaders. This acted as a source of inspiration for the northern soldiers who were interested in safeguarding the way of life in the south [28]. Consequently, the white population in the south was more united than that in the north. This served as a source of strategic advantage which the invading Union forces did not enjoy.

It has also been argued that the best military intelligence at the time belonged to the south. This is because there were more military leaders in the north in comparison to the south. The military leaders had a wealth of training and experience [29]. On the contrary, the north had few respectable military generals which put them in an awkward position. It has also been argued that the confederate forces had a better understanding of the territory since the war was happening in their backyard [30]. There are many mountains and rivers in the south which enabled them to set up defensive positions. Thus, all these factors coupled together played a very significant role in enabling the Confederate forces to hold on to some initial violence. However, this was not to last for a long time since the union eventually won due the list of factors discussed above.

Conclusion

In summation, some of these factors include industrial production, comprehensive railroad coverage, warships, among others. Key events happened during the civil war, most of which either triggered or worsened the civil war. The south had various strategic advantages during the commencement of the war which have been critically analyzed. Some of them include a better understanding of the territory than the northerners since the war was happening at their backyard.